| May 27, 2010 Riverside College: Helping Mission Students Succeed MISSION– Marc Dalton, MLA for Maple Ridge-Mission, spoke in the legislature to congratulate and celebrate Riverside College’s new facility in Mission. “Mr. Speaker, my colleague MLA Hawes and I recently had the joy of attending the grand opening of the Riverside College’s new facility in Mission. “The college provides an alternate program for students in grades 10 to 12 and is also a site for adult graduation. Many at-risk students benefit and succeed in a school that is flexible, individualized and is structured to give students the skills they need that lead directly to employment. “$7.2 million was put towards the college that can serve up to 350 students. The school provides a combination of Entry Level Trades or Technical Training specific to students’ interests. In most cases, most of the training costs are taken care of by the Ministry of Education, so that students can avoid the costs associated with post-secondary training. “Community support workers, professional cooks, automotive technicians, plumbers, and carpenters are just some of the programs offered at Riverside College.” Dalton made special mention of teachers Mike Pesek and Dave McDonald, leaders of a project based program called ECO CREW. The program combines academic subjects with field work studies such as bridge building, trail construction and minnow trapping. The goal is to expose students to every resource industry including forestry, agriculture and fishing. Dalton continued to praise the dedication of teachers and support staff for creating educational alternatives for Mission students. “Peter Neufeld and Brian Philips are a couple of other dedicated teachers. Brian told me that they try to ensure that students get what they need, in a way they can handle and still meet curriculum requirements. Riverside College is another demonstration of successful educational innovations coming out of School District 75 Mission, the district where StrongStart began. “Congratulations to the School Board, Superintendant Frank Dunham, Principal Sharon Kindry and all the teachers and students of this great new college.” -30- | |
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